Abstract
Different mechanical properties characterise the materials of 3D printed components, depending on the specific additive manufacturing (AM) process, its parameters, and the post-treatment adopted. Specifically, stereolithography (SLA) uses a photopolymerisation technique that creates solid components through selective solidification. In this study, 72 specimens were 3D printed using 12 commercial-grade methacrylate resins and tested under uniaxial tensile loads. The resin specimens were evaluated before and after curing. The recommended cure temperature and time were followed for all materials. The stress-strain curves measured during the testing campaign were evaluated in terms of maximum tensile strength, Young’s modulus, ductility, resilience, and toughness. The results reveal that the curing process increases the material stiffness and resistance to tensile loads. However, it was found that the curing process generally reduces the plasticity of the resins, causing a more or less marked brittle behaviour. This represents a potential limitation to the use of SLA 3D printing for structural elements which require some plasticity to avoid dangerous sudden failures.
Highlights
The final properties of 3D printed materials depend on the setting and/or variation of all manufacturing parameters
The results reveal that the curing process increases the material stiffness and resistance to tensile loads
This study aimed at investigating how the curing process modifies the mechanical characteristics and behaviour of commercial resins commonly utilised for SLA prototyping
Summary
The final properties of 3D printed materials depend on the setting and/or variation of all manufacturing parameters These include the ones involved in the curing stage. Thanks to the wide range of resins considered, it was possible to examine the results from two points of view: (1) how the properties of each specific resin changed thanks to the curing process; and (2) how the contribution of the process differs for each of them. This is essential for structural applications, where the properties of the final (post-cured) product must match the one defined at the design stage
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